On 31 January the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development organised a seminar on a new system proposed for the Tawjihi, the secondary school exam system, at the Foundation offices in Ramallah. Dr. Basri Saleh, Deputy Minister for Planning and Development, and educator Ramzi Rihan participated in the seminar, along with several other educators and academics.
The Centre’s Director, Wasim Kurdi, gave the opening address, emphasising the importance of thinking about and planning education within a wider social context, in order to keep clear of an ‘exams for the sake of exams’ approach.
The seminar is part of a series of meetings the Centre has organised with various groups in order to study, assess, and examine the new system, with the goal of issuing an official public statement.
Saleh pointed out that the current secondary education system is not adequate for preparing young adults for higher education or the job market. He said: “We seek a new education system that works on increasing the skills of analysis and critical thinking among Tawjihi students.” He also called for a reexamination of the criteria used for assessing students’ exam results.
Adding to this, Rihan said: “The new system will ensure a nominal change, but it falls short of making any real change, therefore many pedagogical problems will remain, and the system will continue to reward memorisation over deeper understanding and analysis, which are the pillars of a successful learning process.”